Student earns finalist position for scholarship

Portales High School Senior Haley Madden used her hobby of video-making to apply for a scholarship opportunity.

One of her videos has earned her a finalist position in the Go Go Geo Scholarship Video Challenge, a challenge sponsored by Touchstone Energy Cooperatives to promote geothermal energy. The contest was open to high school students in Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Madden said she didn't know much about geothermal energy, which is generated and stored within the earth, prior to the contest, but feels confident that now she has conveyed it in a way many can understand through her video.

It's quite different from the videos she normally makes, which usually involve her just talking about things such as what to do in Portales or making pizza with friends, but she was excited to create her first stop motion video.

Madden used the dry-erase board in the PHS band room to draw her photos in marker that depict how geothermal energy works and how it saves consumers money.

"It has to explain what geothermal energy is and its benefits," said Madden about her video.

Madden said her mother told her about the contest because she knew Madden made videos for YouTube.

Because Madden stays abreast of other YouTube channels, she said she noticed stop motion videos are currently in style.

"I feel like it was a creative way to do it and it wasn't just me sitting in front of a camera telling people something," Madden said. "Whenever you do stop motion, you have to make sure almost everything stays the same. The lighting has to stay the same, the camera has to stay the same. It's details like that where people can see the effort in it."

Madden said she even had to bribe the percussion players of the band with baked goods so they would not mess with the board in the band room, a board she worked on daily for two weeks.

Madden's entry has already earned her $3,000 in scholarship money and $2,500 for her school, but if she wins first place out of the five finalists, the scholarship money will be increased to $10,000 and an additional $1,500 will be donated to PHS.

"I'd prefer they use it for choir, band and drama department because they need the money the most," Madden said.

That's why she's asking area residents to support her and vote for her video.

"I'd ask that people please vote for me because I kept the percussion players at bay for two weeks and that's an accomplishment," Madden joked. "It's pretty cool, I really didn't expect it (to be the winner of the New Mexico region) but I was pretty happy about being able to accomplish that."

As far as her YouTube career, she feels her exposure may grow from this experience but in the long run, she has plans to be a neurosurgeon and an author.

"If I ever did become famous on YouTube that would be cool, but I'd probably use that money for college," Madden said.

To see and vote for Portales High School student Haley Madden's finalist entry in the Go Go Geo Scholarship Video Challenge, visit: http://www.gogogeochallenge.com/